champagne cocktails Archives - Cupcakes and Cutlery

Gin Cocktails with Sparkling Wine

August 8, 2014 By Sharon Garofalow 4 Comments

*The sparkling wine in this recipe was provided by One Hope Wine. You can read more about why I’m working with them in my post from Day 1 of this series on Wine Cocktails!

When I started out making the cocktails for my Wine Cocktails series I thought I would just be following recipes. I didn’t have confidence in trying to make up my own as I didn’t really know how the wine would work with the liquor. But this was my last recipe to make and while I liked the recipe that I followed, I thought it was missing something. And I knew exactly what it was. Cilantro. Not a typical cocktail ingredient but it totally works with this! It goes great with lime and also with the gin since it typically also has some herbal notes to it.

It’s super easy to make! You just need to remember to set out the frozen limeade a little ahead of time to thaw. I didn’t really worry about thawing it out too much but I could see how you would be able to mix it up a little better for more balanced flavors if it was all liquid.

Rinse the cilantro and tear off a handful of cilantro leaves. Put them in your glass, top with the limeade and muddle. I have frozen limeade in my freezer at all times. Not only can you use it to marinade chicken breasts but it is also a main ingredient in the world’s best margaritas. And the stuff lasts for a really long time (so you know it is all processed and chemically and delicious).

Add ice to your glass…

Then add your gin and sparkling wine.

Grab a spoon and give it a quick spin in the glass. Mmmmmm. I love cilantro. I know it isn’t for everyone. If you are a cilantro hater, you could probably try it with basil. I know a basil gimlet is one of the best drinks ever so topping it with some sparkling wine isn’t going to hurt anything.

Cilantro Lime Gin Cocktail with Sparkling Wine

Ingredients

Serves 2
1/4 cup frozen limeade concentrate, thawed
1/2 cup gin
1 1/3 cup sparkling wine
A few sprigs of cilantro

Instructions

In a glass add cilantro leaves and limeade.
Muddle the cilantro.
Add ice.
Top with gin and then add sparkling wine.
Use a spoon to give it a gentle stir.
Recipe (with a few changes) from: http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/lemon-gin-sparkling-cocktails-50400000111989/

http://www.cupcakesandcutlery.com/gin-cocktails-sparkling-wine/

I’m learning to really enjoy gin. It isn’t usually my first choice of liquors but I always love them when I order a cocktail made with gin at a bar. Need more gin cocktails? Try out the gin sorbet float and this Meyer lemon and basil gin cocktail.

A huge thank you to all the brands, like One Hope Wine, that sent product this week so I could produce this series so I didn’t break the bank buying alcohol! Be sure to check out all the other wine based cocktails that I shared this week! Day 1, day 2, day 3 and day 4!

Champagne Cocktails with Ginger and Peach

August 6, 2014 By Sharon Garofalow Leave a Comment

*Wine was provided by One Hope Wine for this post. Because they are a super awesome company. And they work with bloggers really well. And I heart them.

Wine cocktails are awesome. I know because this is day 3 of my wine cocktail series. This Ginger Peach Sparkling Sangria cocktail doesn’t have any liquor in it, but it does also include Sauvignon Blanc. So that’s cool in my book. And it has sparkling wine. Good also. This is almost like a single serving sangria. It’s good. Real good. Did you miss the red wine cocktail from day 1? Tell me you didn’t miss the Strawberry Sauvignon Blanc Martini from day 2!!!

As I mentioned before, I didn’t create these recipes from scratch. I had no idea how wine and liquor worked together and felt like I should sort of get to know them before I tried my hand and cocktail creation. But since this one didn’t include liquor, I took some liberties. You know what does go well together? Ginger and peaches. So I modified this recipe to suit my tastes. I also subbed out the white wine since I LOVE Sauvignon Blanc.

The smell of muddling fresh peaches and ginger was almost as intoxicating as the wine.

Add the Sauvignon Blanc and give it a little stir. You want the flavors to start to marry together.

Add ice to the glass and then top with sparkling wine. A few dashes of bitters will keep the drink balanced and from getting too sweet.

YUM! If you are a white wine drinker, you will love this. If you are a sparkling wine gal, you’ll want this in your mouth. If you love summer peaches, this is your drink. If you are breathing, this is your jam. So fresh, so summery, so wonderful.

Ginger Peach Sparkling Sangria

Ingredients

3 oz Sauvignon Blanc
3 oz Brut Sparkling Wine
1/4 of a fresh peach, chopped
3/4" piece of peeled ginger, rough chopped
3/4 oz agave
Bitters

Instructions

In a glass, add peaches, ginger and agave and muddle.
Add wine.
Add ice.
Top with sparkling wine.
Add a few dashes of bitters
Use a straw or bar spoon to give it a little whirl.
Enjoy.
But I must warn you, the pieces will get stuck in the straw...
Recipe adapted from this one: http://winefolly.com/update/herbal-wine-cocktails/

http://www.cupcakesandcutlery.com/champagne-cocktails-ginger-peach/

A very big thank you to One Hope Wine for providing wine for this fun series. I had a really great time learning about wine based cocktails and learning more about this great company. Did you know that just by buying One Hope Wine you can help some really great causes? You can. Find out more about their amazing charity here.

Day 1: One Hope Pinto Noir and Tequila Cocktail
Day 2: Strawberry Sauvignon Blanc Martini

And this is still one of my favorite ways to make sparkling wine cocktails.

Ciao Bella Sorbet Champagne Cocktails

May 28, 2012 By Sharon Garofalow 5 Comments

Ciao-Bella-gelato-champagne-cocktail-sign — image by Dez and Tam Photography

Today is the perfect day for a Ciao Bella Sorbet Champagne Cocktail don’t you think? All this week I will be posting about the bridal shower I recently threw for Lauren. I thought I would start out on holiday Monday, in case you haven’t planned your BBQ for this afternoon already. You should still have plenty of time to run out and find some Ciao Bella Sorbet for your afternoon cocktail (can be found at most grocery stores – you can even sign up for a coupon here). These sorbet champagne cocktails couldn’t have been more perfect for the shower. The day turned out to be about one trillion degrees. This cool and fruity drink was the best blend of girly and sophisticated for such a memorable occasion.

All you have to do is put a small (or large if no one is looking) scoop in to a champagne flute – or heck, a plastic cup. Then you top it with your favorite champagne or sparkling wine. It is super refreshing and exactly what you need to be drinking on a hot holiday. And all summer long. What I love about the Ciao Bella Sorbet flavors is that they pack tons of flavor but are not overly sweet. I have posted about them before. They really do make amazing cocktails. See more recipes on the Ciao Bella website!

Fake Germain {Ikea food hack}

February 7, 2012 By Sharon Garofalow 3 Comments

I can’t believe I am just sharing this with my readers now. While I did mention this tip in a guest post for Celebrations.com, I first used this “Fake Germain” a year ago at my son’s 2nd birthday. What the heck is Fake Germain, you ask? Well I’ve had my eye on a bottle of St. Germain Elderflower liqueur for quite some time after falling in love with a delicious champagne cocktail at Mesa. But a large bottle is around $35. I just can’t do it. But I found this elderflower concentrate at Ikea in a party preparatory shopping trip and thought I would give it a try. As you would with St. Germain, you simply pour a bit in your flute and top with champagne. The concentrate not only jazzes up your champagne, but also makes a delicious, non-alcoholic punch. Thank you again, Ikea. Oh and this bottle is $4.49. It is the best saft flader I’ve ever had.

Last Minute Gift Idea for Your Best Gals

December 20, 2011 By Sharon Garofalow 9 Comments

I dropped one of these babies off at my friend Amy’s house today. I don’t get to spend nearly enough time with her as I would like to. But I wanted to let her know that I was thinking about her. And what girl wouldn’t want to find one of these little bags waiting for them when they get home.

Girls love the bubbles and they couldn’t be cuter when served in a small pink can with straw. These Sofia’s are found in a 4 packs at your local Bev Mo. Bev Mo also has these travel (? – should alcohol really be travel sized? I don’t know what else to call these, airplane sized??) bottles of St. Germain, a delicious elderflower liqueur (note: this link will take you to the full size bottle, the small sized is about $5) that pairs ridiculously awesomely with champagne. Bev Mo has way more than the standard cheap gins and gross tequilas in this cute size. So many fun ideas are running around in my head. I packaged it up really simply in a muslin bag and made a quick sparkly “A” with double stick tape and glitter. I am a huge fan of temporary flourishes so that the bag can be reused if the recipient wants to. AND I really like the straight lines of the tape.

The next best thing to sharing a drink with a good friend is having one ready for them when they need it. Now, I hope I find 7 of these on my porch tomorrow. :)

Happy Holidays!

Sharon